


SFW Headcanons and Drabbles

by Moonfireflight



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-09-06 14:44:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16834672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonfireflight/pseuds/Moonfireflight
Summary: I'm importing my works that were only on Tumblr previously so they don't vanish into the mists of time if Tumblr collapses entirely.





	1. Domestic headcanons for Saeyoung

Cooking:  
He didn’t get to grow up with an appreciation of home cooked meals, so while he knows the basics, he never had any drive to hone his skills. Once V set him up with the agency, he basically went straight to something like college life. Since then, his long and unpredictable work hours ensured cooking wasn’t a skill he had time to work on or think about. Depression saw to the rest of his poor self-care habits. 

Once he got together with you, though, long dormant domestic instincts suddenly emerged. The idea of being able to cook you breakfast in bed or surprise you with a feast made him smile. He quickly picked up a new set of skills through recipes and videos online. He also loves putting on a show, so anything that lets him really show off, like flipping omelets or flambéing something, is a delight for him. He loves seeing your and Saeran’s faces light up as you watch. It’s a great boost for his self-confidence. This still isn’t as common as ordering take-out or delivery, or eating TV dinners or things from cans, but you guys are getting better. Also, he enjoys spicy foods, and will add gochujang or peppers to dishes that you wouldn’t expect but they somehow work out. Also, he has a weakness for strawberries. 

Cleaning:   
O h b o y. Here’s the main thing that you and Seven get into tiffs over. The combination of chronic depression and having Vanderwood around for the last several years to clean up after him has led to him being a messy guy. 

You are used to picking up stray laundry, dishes, towers of cans, and food wrappers. It’s led to a few small arguments, but you understand why he’s like this and he’s getting better. He’s a genius, so he’s not going to be staring at the washing machine like it will bite him. In fact, he claims he’s added a new language to his roster- Those mysterious washing instruction symbols on clothing tags. 

Dates:   
Most common: Pjs/sweats, bad movies/video games/YouTube, snacks, and snuggling. Just one more Vine compilation or cat video, then you’ll go to bed, you swear. Though, stick to bad movies, because he tends to talk through anything you try to watch. 

Seven: “Oh, who’s this character?”  
You: “I don’t know yet”  
Seven: “What’s this guy doing?”  
You: “I don’t know YET E I T H E R.” 

Less common: Laying together on a blanket and stargazing somewhere away from the city lights. Random mini-adventures, like “I wonder what that huge Christmas tree looks like from below?” “Let’s find out!” (And make out). Long drives to nowhere in particular with you both singing along to ridiculous music is another winner. 

Depression:  
He’s still struggling with it. You know that depression is complicated, and you alone can’t solve it for him, so he’s seeing a doctor about it, and Jumin helped arrange it. He is, not entirely unreasonably, uncomfortable with the idea of therapy. His mind is a vault full of state secrets and he’s done things that could land him in prison or worse. But he agreed to try medication, and it’s starting to help. He still has mornings where he doesn’t get out of bed for hours. He still sometimes starts to push you away, feeling that he doesn’t deserve this, or that he doesn’t want to bring you down by sharing his fears and dark moods with you. You’ve gotten into a few fights over him shutting down or trying to convince you to leave him, because even when you know he doesn’t mean those words, they are still hard to hear. But he’s improving, and things are getting easier for both of you, and your love is strong enough to weather this. 

General relationship stuff:   
This man is very touch oriented. He craves physical contact because he missed out on it for so long in his life. Touching you reminds him that you are real. Sometimes he’s a bit childish about it. Tickle fights and roughhousing are going to happen. He likes to pick you up because he can (and he likes the feeling of power and control). Get ready to have your hair randomly ruffled, or your butt smacked when you walk by. He loves resting his head on your shoulder or giving you random hugs. He was touch starved for so long that he’s like an affectionate cat once he’s introduced to loving touches and soft snuggles. He will flop on your lap, wordlessly asking for loves. 

He likes playing with your hair, from soothing and relaxing brushing to styling it if you’ll let him. Do you like makeup? He’d be delighted to use you as his canvas. He’d watch YouTube tutorials with you and would not-so-secretly kind-of want to make his own. 

If you get sick, you can bet he’s going to research online like a madman and come up with the perfect Plan of Action to Destroy the Invading Illness. Saeyoung’s secret hidden parent-mode activates, and he’s going to make sure you get better as quickly as possible! He’s much better at making sure you take care of yourself than he is at taking care of himself. You’ve got to remind him not to forget about himself. 

He can be very romantic. Rose petals, candles, and words of poetry are things he’s brought into to your life. He can absolutely make your heart melt. However, he often relies on physical affection to show you he cares. Seeing you respond to his touch helps his confidence. He’s the one who somehow gets to do this to you. He’s the one making you feel good. He tends to get very emotional in bed. Neither tears nor laughter are uncommon when it’s the two of you alone in your shared room. Sometimes you guys are just a goofy mess, sometimes it’s pure (and not so pure) magic. 

Thanks to his agent training, he’s a master of seduction, quite literally. He wasn’t reading those books just for fun. However, he’s also the kind of guy who finds it hilarious to “seduce” you in exceptionally silly ways. You step out of the shower, only to find your clothing is missing, forcing you to run into the bedroom naked, where an equally naked Saeyoung is waiting for you, waggling his eyebrows. He’ll also sext you even if you both are in the house, the two of you texting back and forth until you can’t stand it anymore and pounce on each other. 

I would add some NSFW here, but I feel like it’s pretty well covered between my fics and the many lovely and talented headcanon authors out there!


	2. Saeyoung & Saeran's Brithday

I wanted to do some art for today but it just wasn’t working out the way I’d planned, but this tiny drabble came to mind this morning instead. @saeranchoiweek

Happy Birthday to my absolute favorite characters I’ve ever met in my many years of gaming. To Saeran, to whom I wish only happiness, peace, love, and a long life with his family. And to Saeyoung, who I love for his genius and his big heart, his genuine kindness after everything he’s been through, and his ability to make me laugh. I hope the love of the fandom reaches you both today and always.

******

“Noooooooo, this is going to take forEVER. So cruel to make a restless wanderer like me wait here, tethered to my desk!”

His brother’s dramatic wailing caused him to crack a smile. He’d been fixing MC’s computer for most of the morning while she was visiting with Jaehee. The PC was old and slow and everything was taking longer than it should. He didn’t know why Saeyoung didn’t just replace it. Strolling into the room he called out to his brother. “Restless wanderer? Since when? You spend all of your time indoors, nerd.”

“Cruelties upon cruelties! Mocked by my own flesh and blood!” Saeyoung sighed, his whole body slumping forward, eliciting an annoyed beep from the computer as his forehead settled on the keyboard.

“Come on. You’ve been working on that ancient monstrosity all morning. I bet you haven’t even eaten. Let’s go get lunch or something.” Saeran smirked as Saeyoung bounded up out of his chair with a huge smile on his face.

His voice was pure enthusiasm. “You really want to go somewhere together? You and me? You do care about me!”

“Obviously. Though it’s your treat,” Saeran deadpanned.

Saeyoung spun around to face him again, his eyes alight with mischief. “Okay, then you’re driving,” he said, tossing his keychain to his brother, who caught it with ease. He stared at the key in his hand, the understanding of how important this moment was dawning over him. His brother never trusted anyone else with his babies. Even MC hadn’t driven one of his cars yet. The warmth he felt in his chest was unfamiliar to him…until he thought back to days long ago when his brother would sneak him out of the house for ice cream. 

Saeran followed Saeyoung to the huge garage, his feet guiding him automatically while his mind tried to process the thoughts racing through it. His brother opened the door with unnecessary bravado, bowing and gesturing for Saeran to enter before him.

“Happy Birthday, brother.” Those words and the ridiculously huge bow atop his favorite of Saeyoung’s cars clicked together in his mind.

“I… what?”

“That was your favorite, right? I hope I remembered correctly…”

Saeran walked over to the gleaming blue sports car, running his hand over its shining surface. His voice choked with emotion, he turned to his brother again. “Yeah, that’s the one. Are you sure? I… you love these damn things.”

Saeyoung stepped over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Saeran could see the telltale signs that his brother was close to tears, and felt the same things reflected in himself. “Honestly, part of why I bought them was an attempt to fill the hole that has always been in my heart since the day I had to leave you behind. They already basically belong to you anyway.”

On impulse, Saeran wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck, holding him tightly. It wasn’t the first time they’d hugged since their reunion, but it was the first time Saeran truly appreciated the comfort of having this connection back in his life. He had family again, and he was safe and free. “Thank you, brother. For everything. Now let’s get some lunch so MC has more time to plan whatever she has in mind for your birthday.”


	3. Romance Headcanons

Mystic Messenger - Saeyoung Choi   
Romance Headcanons

12\. Ways my Muse goes out of their way for their love interest(s)

Saeyoung doesn’t see anything he does as going out of his way for you, but to others he may seem like he’s almost a little overbearing in his attentiveness, making sure you’ve eaten and are taking good care of yourself. He has some yandere potential too, so be aware. If you are gone for a while, and he’s in a bad place mentally, he’s absolutely going to hack your phone/CCTV cameras and find out where you are to make sure you are safe.

He also loves surprising you with new creations of his own design. Sometimes it’s little robots or toys (I originally meant that in a non-sexual way, but, let’s be honest, he’d invent those kinds of toys for you guys to play with as well). Other times he tries inventing new things in the kitchen which… has about a 50/50 success rate. He can cook well, but his experimental recipes occasionally mean that “breakfast in bed” turns into “let’s call the maid to clean the kitchen while we go out for breakfast”.

Also, not long after you moved in with him, he disappeared into your shared bedroom for several hours, saying he was working on something. When he finally revealed it, he had added a portrait of you to the glowing constellations on the ceiling above your bed, as you cast forth stars from your hands to create the other swirling patterns of stars across his personal sky.

19 .What my Muse says instead of the words ‘I love you’

In hushed tones while gazing into your eyes, he’d utter, “you’re beautiful”

While laying next to you in bed, touching you reverently, almost on the verge of tears, he asks, “how are you real?”

In soft and quiet moments, a simple and awestruck “thank you”.

He grins at you, looking happy and dreamy all at once, and says, “so cuuuute~”

“The brightest star in the sky is nothing compared to your radiance.”

He frequently conveys his love silently, with a warm hand on the small of your back, or brushing your hair out of your eyes so he can gaze into them. His complete inability to keep his hands off you speaks the words for him.

*Special thanks to my friend Nea for the suggestion about the glowing portrait on the ceiling~ 

6\. How they go about confessing their attraction

Since we’ve already gotten to see how Saeyoung confessed his attraction in the game, I’m trying to think of a fun way to answer this one.

This popped into my head the other night. It’s either an alternate reality, or sometime before the last time he had to “disappear”.

***

Saeyoung sat on the floor, his primary PC laid out in it’s individual parts before him. Yep, that confirmed it. The power supply was dead. At least it wasn’t the motherboard. The hard drive wasn’t a worry as he had that data backed up in triplicate.

You know, the one with the cat pictures. Obviously.

He sighed and got dressed, ready to trek down to a local PC repair shop so he could make his purchase in cash. Besides, he liked the place. It was always quiet.

As soon as he opened the door, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a new employee. A female employee. He felt like the temperature in the room had gone up several degrees and he was waiting for his heart to start again when she turned to smile at him and welcome him to the shop.

He stood there confused for a few moments and pointed at himself, and squeaked out a tiny “me?”

She laughed, sweetly and melodically with no malice. “Of course! You’re the first customer I’ve had all day!”

He finally got his bearings and let the 707 mask slide back into place. He strode into the shop and looked around a bit before saying, “well, that’s just not right. Kids these days and their Alienwares and their other prebuilt garbage. They just don’t understand the joy of building your own machine.” He glanced up at her, curious about her thoughts on the matter. Did she just work there, or was she also an enthusiast?

She smiled and nodded in agreement, gushing about her current machine, and how it just feels so much better to know you’d done the work yourself. As well as the satisfaction of booting up a new build for the first time.

Saeyoung just stared at her until she trailed off nervously. “Um, sorry. I just get really enthusiastic about this sort of thing. That’s why I took over the shop from my brother. He was bored with it and never really enjoyed…”

He cut her off suddenly, surprising himself. “Never apologize for that. There’s nothing I love more than seeing someone being passionate about their favorite thing. It’s beautiful. Whoever taught you to feel bad about that is an idiot.”

Realizing he might have gone too far, he laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair, making it even messier than usual. “Um. Well. Anyway… my power supply died a horrible suffering death this morning and I came here for a replacement.”

She had to take a breath to recover from her sudden shyness as well, and finally said, maybe a little too loudly, “I have just the thing!” before running to the back room beyond the counter.

“Saeyoung. What the hell are you doing?” he muttered under his breath. His heart was still racing. Was it all of the Dr. Pepper he’d consumed this morning? The early signs of heat stroke? Heart failure? There had to be a logical reason for this that didn’t involve the cute girl who…

… oh

She returned to the counter and placed a box in front of him, rattling off information about the specs and pricing. He wasn’t even really listening, but he nodded along, until she said, “by the way, my name is ____.”

Before his brain could catch up, much to his dismay, the following words tumbled out of his mouth:

“Hi ____, I’m single.”

-FACEPALM-

“I’m Luciel, and I’m a giant idiot who will purchase this power supply and then vanish forever into my cave in complete embarrassment. Thank you.”

He was too busy staring intently at the countertop to see that she was absolutely brimming with happiness. She carefully slid the receipt into the small portion of the counter that was his current field of vision. Above the printed text was a phone number and a tiny heart scrawled with green glittery ink..

Saeyoung’s head snapped up and he met her eyes, feeling like he would drown in that smile. “Well,” she said. “There’s a condition for purchasing that, you know?”

“Huh?” He blinked in confusion.

“You have to come out of your cave again sometime soon, okay?”

Nodding slowly, his brain finally caught up. “Ah, yeah. That sounds nice.” He looked around the shop again approvingly, before focusing on her again, grinning slyly. “The outside world isn’t that bad after all. Some things make leaving my cave worthwhile.”

***

10\. Personality traits they find attractive

A sense of humor (bonus points if you laugh easily over cheesy jokes) and the ability to laugh at yourself, kindness and empathy, intelligence, with a hefty pinch of perviness. He doesn’t need someone who’s a ray of sunshine every minute. He’d find grumpiness adorable so long as you are sweet to him and don’t intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings.

25\. My Muse’s thoughts on their experience / skill in bed

So… I probably think about this probably more than is healthy, let’s be real.

In “The Crime of Freedom” I made Saeyoung a virgin at the time of the story for the sake of letting me be a real bastard to the poor man (I’m sorry, Sae!). It’s easy to headcanon him as one before meeting MC, since he’s Catholic, an oddball, a nerd etc. 

But I feel like his lines in his after ending are a little too suave and sure of himself for that to really be the case. I mean this line: “I want to hold you tight and love you all night so that you can remember me forever. Will you let me?” If he were unsure of himself, I feel like he wouldn’t have asked that so much as just starting kissing MC and seeing where it led, with a lot of “are you ok?”s and “is this OK?”s and plenty of “are you sure?”s.

My headcanon is that back in college, when he was training to be an agent, knowing that he wasn’t able to form lasting connections with anyone, maybe he had a fling or three, just stressed out people in a pressure cooker environment needing to blow off steam. Hell, maybe he assumed he might end up in some 007 scenarios where being completely inexperienced would blow his cover or ruin the mission.

What about now in “I Could Teach You” canon? You make him feel like God Seven. Knowing that he can take a strong woman like you and turn you into a moaning, twitching mess is his absolute drug of choice. As he struggles from time to time with self esteem and depression, he doesn’t always feel this way, but you are good at putting a lot of those fears to bed, so to speak.


	4. Mysme Angst Week- Memories (Yoosung)

Mysme Angst Week Day 1 - Yoosung + Memories  
(SFW, swearing, angst, very short)

@mysmeangstweek

“What do you mean, I can’t hold aggro? No one can hold aggro when they’re dead! Maybe try healing me next time, Kalcryx? Fuck this, I’m logging off.” Yoosung tore his headset off and threw it hard enough that it reached the end of its cord before snapping back and crashing to the floor.

“I just want to be number one at something in my life. It doesn’t matter how good I am at LOLOL if my teammates SUCK!” As he realized he hadn’t logged out of voice chat yet, he aimed the last comment at his now cracked headset, hoping the rest of the group could hear him. He stared for another moment at the screen before exiting the game, but somehow just logging out didn’t feel right.

Anger coursed through his body, causing his muscles to tense and begging him to vent it destructively. Standing up, he kicked his chair back behind him, then fell to his knees in front of his desk, pawing around under it until his hand connected with the main power cable, which he yanked out of the wall. He had put far too much force into the motion, and his knuckles cracked against a part of his desk, making him yelp. He cradled the injured hand to his chest, rocking back and forth, willing himself with all of his might not to cry. He felt so weak against the hot throbbing behind his eyes, unshed tears burning within him. No, he was done being a crybaby!

The pain began to recede, but his body felt heavy and drained. He immediately felt stupid for his outburst. If he had ruined his computer by unplugging it in a fit of childish rage, he would never hear the end of it from Seven. He didn’t have the money to replace it, so he would have to rely on hand-me-down parts again.

He curled up in a ball under his desk, feeling like he was alone in the world and as helpless as a child. He always had to rely on someone else. Nothing was really his, except for what he earned in LOLOL. Even that relied on the internet his parents paid for and the computer that Seven had built. Without those, even his virtual achievements were untouchable, locked away from him.

Would he ever have any fucking control over his life? Before he realized it, he’d punched the back panel of his desk again and reeled from the pain. How could he have any control over his life if he couldn't’t even control himself! “Control yourself,” was all he heard in the RFA chat room too. How dare he miss Rika. How dare he want to know more about what happened to her? They never even tried to understand him.

Yoosung glanced up for a moment and noticed something shiny caught between the desk and his bed, obscured behind a cloud of cobweb dotted with crumbs. Normally he couldn’t be bothered, but he had nothing to lose, bunched up under his desk like trash already.

Scraping his knuckles on the edge of the desk didn’t even register as new pain at that moment, nor did the tickling of the dusty webbing. The muscles from his shoulder to his fingertips stretched taut as he tried hard to reach the object. Once he had it pinched between two fingers, he quickly pulled his hand out of the dark corner before the spider he imagined there got mad at him for destroying its home.

The object dropped to the floor in front of him, and he recognized it as the back of a photo frame. He flipped it over, and recoiled internally. The glass was webbed through with cracks, covering up most of the image, but he remembered the captured moment so clearly.

***

“Yoosung! Come quickly! I want to get a picture of everyone together. Since you are the tallest one here, stand in the back row, okay?” He certainly wasn’t used to being the tallest one anywhere, even if his competition today was an elementary class, but he’d take any victory he could.

Summer was supposed to be for relaxing and playing games, but his parents had suggested he spend some time helping his cousin instead. He had to admit that he had enjoyed volunteering with her before, even if he didn’t like it at first. He felt a sense of accomplishment that even his grades didn’t give him. He felt important and needed. These weren’t things he thought he needed in his life, but once he experienced them, he found it almost addicting.

So here he was at a summer school at the local church, tutoring elementary school kids in math or whatever they most needed to learn. Rika had left him in charge of his group’s curriculum and how to teach them, and he felt like it had gone well. He had never thought of himself as a teacher or a leader and proving himself to be more than he’d thought gave him so much hope for his future.

He was kind of sad that it was graduation day, but he would still have two weeks before his vacation ended and spending a few days to himself sounded good. The kids all huddled together around him, with one of the smallest clutching at the leg of his pants. He even remembered how it felt to smile for the picture, easy and heartfelt, surrounded by the kids that he had helped.

Afterwards, Rika had hugged him and told him how proud she was of him. She talked with him about all of the things she saw for him in his future. 

***

“What future?” he yelled, voice hoarse from crying as he clutched the photo frame in his hands. “Why can’t you be here to tell me? Why did the world have to take you from me?!” His whole body felt like it was burning as he sat on the floor and sobbed. Everything hurt, especially his stomach. He was hungry, having put off lunch to finish the raid he had logged out during earlier. He was too tired to cook, too broke to go out and buy food, having used the last of this month’s funds already for groceries and a new skin in LOLOL.

What future was there for him, lost, alone, and unable to even feed himself like a grown man?

Before he crawled onto his bed, he retrieved one of his photo albums from beneath it. Retreating to his happy memories, he eventually fell asleep hungry and exhausted, and dreamt of better days.


	5. Mysme Angst Week - Secrets/Lies

Mysme Angst Week day 2 - Saeyoung + secrets/lies  
This is kind of a prequel to my “Agency” post for Saeyoung Week. 

Short, PG rated at worst.

@mysmeangstweek

***

Over the last several months, Saeyoung Choi had slowly been learning the art of being honest.

Through his whole life lies had been the one thing he could rely on.

He first had learned this from his mother. If he admitted that he was hungry, she would fly into a mad rage, screaming at her sons, sometimes denying their next meal entirely. Lying through silence may have saved his life back then.

His next lesson came from those days as well. His heart ached when he recalled every little lie he had told Saeran. But, what he didn’t know couldn’t be beaten out of him by their mother. He had lied to give Saeran hope. “We’ll get out of here together soon,” he’d said, even when he knew that life held another path for him. To this day he regretted never telling him the truth. But… if Saeran had known about the agency, there was every chance that Rika would have coaxed the information from him with her damned elixir. Little white lies, told with good intentions, even in retrospect. .

Life with the agency was simply an exercise in perfecting his ability to lie, only they liked to call it acting. “Yes ma’am, I’m here to repair your home computer! Your husband didn’t tell you? It must have slipped his mind. I’ll just get right to work.” It was amazing what people would believe if you just sounded confident and looked half-professional. A nametag or a clipboard opened so many doors.

His very appearance was a lie. He knew he didn’t look intimidating in the least, and that was part of why he got selected for so many field missions. Send the kid, send the babyface, he could get away with murder.

Then there were the secrets he kept for the agency. Letting even a hint of the truth slip had the nasty habit of resulting in the truth-teller disappearing one day, even when he was back in college. Lies were his armor.

He had to laugh a little bit when he remembered those days of lying to himself about his feelings for the new woman who had shown up in the RFA chat. He had worked so hard to convince himself that there was no meaning to these strange new sensations and urges. His fingers hadn’t learned the secrets of dishonesty, so they dialed her number before he was ready. His eyes weren’t trained to obey him as they flicked back to the CCTV every 2.35 seconds. He had been much better at reminding himself that he didn’t deserve her.

Slowly he’d learned to tell her when he was struggling with depression and needed her. When he just needed to be held, once he realized and admitted that he needed physical contact so badly after being denied it for decades.. Being honest with her about Saeran was the turning point of his entire life.

She never asked about his life as an agent, and for this he felt blessed as well. He would have told her anything she asked, and that thought terrified him. Did she think secret agent life was glamorous and sexy like in the movies? Or did she imagine the worst, that he was a killer for hire or…? It didn’t matter.

So, it tore him up inside that he still had to hide something from her. He hadn’t yet gotten rid of all of the agency data on his servers. Until he could find a way to do so, he still had to protect it physically in case someone managed to get into the bunker. After Rika had him set up the bomb in her apartment, well… at the time it had just made sense to rig something similar up at his own place. He never imagined his hideout would become a home for the two people most important to him. Never.

He imagined how heartbroken she would be, how betrayed she would feel if she knew. In his mind’s eye he saw himself facing an intruder, someone from the agency in his very home. He heard himself threatening to blow the place up if they dared take a step closer… Then he heard MC screaming and crying, hating him for putting her in danger yet again, as if the time they spent in the apartment together wasn’t enough.

From that moment, he resolved to find a way to destroy that data once and for all.


	6. Selfship Prompt - Meeting your FO

selfloving-shipper:

Describe the first time your F/O realized they were in love with you. Were they freaked out or in simple awe? Did they confess immediately or try to hide it?

(Sometimes I think my writing hobby is just an ongoing exercise to embarrass myself more every day.)

Saeyoung’s bleary eyes tried to focus themselves in the dark room. He couldn’t see the clock from where he was, short of a blurry green glow, but the stars on his ceiling had stopped shedding their pale green light so it had to be close to dawn.

Had he just been dreaming? He was sprawled uncomfortably on the bed, but he was afraid to move and chase the last vestiges of the dream away before he remembered it fully.

First there had been a field of stars in every direction and he seemed to be floating in the middle of it. He gazed in every direction, in awe of the sight. Was he traveling in space?

After a moment he noticed one particularly bright star, and something about it seemed to be calling out to him. Saeyoung drifted closer to the shining orb, able to somehow move by only thought. To his surprise, he heard a voice.

“Saeyoung Choi. The things you have been put through are so unfair. All I want in this world is for you to be happy and loved, for you to be with your brother and to be safe. Even if I can’t be the one to hold you, because you aren’t real… I still love you.”

He was stunned. How could this be possible? Someone who didn’t know him and didn’t even think he was real knew about his life, knew about his brother… and loved him? He could feel that what she said wasn’t just words. She felt this in her heart, as well as a sense of loss and longing that made his heart ache in tandem with hers. He tried to reach out, tried to call her name even though there was no way he could know it, but instead he found himself alone in his room again.

“Who are you?”

***

“Hey. Come with me to meet her.”

Saeyoung stopped his work instantly. His brother wanted him to meet his girlfriend? This was a huge step for them! “I finally get to meet this girl you keep talking about?! Yes!!” He jumped up and pumped his fist in the air in pure joy.

Saeran glared at him. “Take the excitement down at least three notches or I’ll leave you here. Apparently she also has a friend there with her too who would love to meet you?”

“Meet…me?” Something about the situation just felt unreal, and tugged at something in his chest. “Who would want to meet me?”

“That’s what I asked her, but she’s sure. Clearly someone with no taste.”

Saeyoung laughed, “well, she’s friends with your girlfriend so that’s a mean thing to say!”

“Idiot. Don’t call her my girlfriend. Just shut up and get ready to go.” Saeran turned to walk out of the room, leaving Saeyoung standing there as several conflicting emotions danced through his brain.

“Who are you?”

***

When they arrived at the apartment, Saeran’s girlfriend met them at the door and greeted them both gladly. Saeyoung had to grin at this brother’s attempts to look nonchalant, but it was obvious he was completely smitten. Once they stepped into the apartment though, he saw her. She was sitting on the couch looking very shy, and she wore a hoodie just like his! Her face was partly hidden by her hair, but he could see that she wore glasses as well.

Before he could say anything, the woman who owned the apartment turned to her and said “So, would you like to meet him?” He grinned as the girl wearing his hoodie nodded her head excitedly. He also felt a blush creeping up his cheeks. No one warned him ahead of time that she was cute!

He was practically pushed in front of her, and held out his hand to greet her. She beamed up at him as if she were meeting a celebrity, but she wasn’t just in awe, he could see the real feeling in her eyes as well.

As soon as they touched hands, he knew it was her. It was like their hearts connected in that instant, and everything he’d felt from the dream: Longing, hope, fear, but all of it was wrapped in love. She loved him, and in that instant he realized he loved her too.

The moment he stepped back, she scrambled to hide in her hood in embarrassment, which only made her 606% cuter in his eyes. He immediately had the urge to capitalize on this as much as possible, and he sat down next to her on the couch with his arm casually on the back of it behind her head, grinning down at her. He was determined to find as many ways to make her blush as possible for… well, he found himself hoping that he would have a long time to work on this project. 

They saw each other almost every day after that, though it took a week or so of awkwardly getting to know each other before either said the words that were in their hearts.

“You cared about me as a person, not just a ‘character’, and wanted only the best for me. How could I not love you?”


	7. I Want to Whisper in your Ear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is based on one of my favorite calls in the game.

“I want to whisper in your ear…”  
I am still working on a few larger projects, including chapter 6 of tCoF, I also replayed Seven’s route very recently. One of his calls on day 9 filled me with an instant need to write about it and how my MC would have handled his flirting. Despite the title, it’s safe for work. Enough talk from me- Let the fluffy drabble commence! (1402 words, really over the top prose and I know it.)

***

“I want to whisper in your ear…”

She hung up the phone, setting it to the side while holding Seven’s gaze with equal intensity. In the last few hours, he had finally let his emotional walls collapse, confessing the feelings he had been suppressing for days.

From the moment he had stopped pushing her away and decided to consider accepting her, she had felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Since Seven had arrived at the apartment, she had spent days trying to make herself as small as possible, curling in on herself. It had taken all of her energy to remain positive and supportive when she had just wanted to disappear.

However, along with their newfound freedom, a new type of tension had settled over the apartment, over the fine layer of dust that shrouded the place. He had talked about being good at “keeping it in,” or stopping himself from giving into his desires, but this dance of flirting and retreating… as he leaned towards her, her heart pounded with the hope that the dance was nearing its end.

“Kara…,” he murmured, his lips so close to her that his breath feathered through her hair. “I’ve never felt like this before, I…” He retreated again, and her mind, she dove forward to catch her heart before it fell to the ground. “I know I said I can hold back, but with you right here, I want to kiss you so badly.”

“Seven…yes. Please…” Sounding so desperate was not her intent, but it was the truth.

His hands shook, tentatively reaching towards her. “Oh god, my body feels like it’s burning up. If you say that so eagerly I’m afraid if I kiss you I’ll be greedy for more. I should just…”

Before he could complete the movement that would have taken him away from the bed, away from her again, she grabbed his wrist. Dumbfounded, he turned his blushing face towards her again. “Kara?!”

“Seven. Do you seriously think you can focus on your work right now? I know the last few days have been stressful beyond belief, but you look like you are about to come apart.”

“I don’t know! My heart is pounding like I drank a case of Dr. Pepper and ran a marathon!”

He had to know why. Kara gently pulled him back towards her, urging him to sit on the bed again. “Hey, I know a lot is going on, but you need to take a break. The last thing I want is to pressure you into something you aren’t ready for, but Seven, I love you. That nervous energy, that desire to be greedy for more…I feel it too. You don’t have to hold back. In fact, please, Seven. Don’t hold yourself back. If you want my everything, it’s yours with no reservations.”

He tried to pull his hand away for a moment, but she held firm. “That’s a dangerous thing to say, Kara…”

“Seven.” With a deep breath to keep the tremors of excitement out of her voice, she continued as calmly as possible. “I may not know much about how dangerous your agency is, or Mint Eye, or a million other things in this world, but right now in this room, it’s just you and I. Expressing your feelings isn’t dangerous when the other person wants it as much as you do.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything, Seven.” She wanted to pull him forward and beg him to kiss her, her lips yearning for his like a desert wanderer inches from his first drop of water in days, but she needed to let him make the first move, lest she scare him away.

Seven’s reply was quiet, timid. “Okay… I’ll trust you. Tell me if I’m doing something wrong or going too far, Kara. I’ve never really…”

“I promise, Seven,” she breathed, praying he believed her. Her heart couldn’t take it if he retreated again. He was the moon, and he’d enraptured the tides of her heart, every part of her yearning for him. Leaning forward, eyes half closed, lips parted slightly, she invited him as softly as she could.

Despite years spent risking his life, the leap in front of him left his every nerve alight with conflicting messages. “Flee!” several yelled. He felt the pull of the void, and knowing that the fall would give him life rather than take it away, he gave himself over to it.

As they kissed, feathersoft at first, then giving into the raging tides, both marveled at how right it felt. For Kara, though not her first kiss, it was the first that felt like the glorious dawning of the universe. She wrapped her arms around him, pouring all of her love into the man who shared this moment with her.

Seven was floating, adrift on a sea who’s tides threatened to overwhelm his best efforts to say afloat. Gasping for breath, he broke the kiss, far sooner than he wanted, and turned away from her sight just before he tasted the salt of his tears upon his lips instead.

Love, as a concept, was something he never thought he could grasp. Her loving touches, this tender, and needy embrace, knowing he was wanted and cared for… it was impossible, and he was drowning in its perfection.

“I’m s-sorry, Kara!” he sobbed. “Just being held like this is something I didn’t realize I needed so badly all these years and it’s almost too much. I’m a mess. I know this isn’t what you wanted from me.”

“Honey, no. If being held like this is all you ever want from me, I’m content. You deserve love, and I’ll show you that in any way you let me for as long as you let me.” She pulled him close again, arms wrapped around his form that suddenly seemed so frail and small. Seven, curling in on himself, ended up with his head in her lap as she ran her hands over his shoulders and back.

“I feel like I should be embarrassed crying like this but, you make me feel like it’s ok,” he said, voice muffled against her.

“It is. I’m crying too. When your emotions are so strong that you don’t have words for them, sometimes you have to cry. I’m crying because I’m so happy that you accepted me, and that you trust me to hold you like this, and because you’ve been through so many horrible things in your life, Seven.”

Gingerly, she removed his glasses and set them on the far edge of the bed. He laid there with his head on her lap for several moments as she let her fingers card through his brilliant red curls. Finally, his breathing slowed as he got his bearings in this new world. “Kara. Thank you.”

He was too exhausted to sit up, but he curled himself around her and fell into the bed’s embrace, arms wrapped about her belly as he pulled her to his chest. Though some of the earlier tension remained, sparking again at every point of contact between them, the comfort that settled over them like a blanket quelled it, at least for the night.

“Seven. Thank you for trusting me as well.” He held onto her even tighter, letting her be his rock to hold onto as the waves of emotion tried to pull him under again. Kara’s fingers twined with his, the simple gesture bringing him back to reality.

At that moment he realized the immensity behind that tiny word. Such a small and simple thing had locked away these secrets and treasures for all of his life.

“Kara,” he whispered. It felt like it would burst forth from him whether he wanted to say it or not, though he very much did. “I love you.”

It was her turn to sob, the words filling up every void that had left her feeling nearly defeated for the last few days. “Seven, I love you too. So much.”

As much as she wanted, and would always want more, both of them still had a little fear inside of them that refused to take them away from this moment. Instead, they merely marveled at each other and this perfect closeness until sleep gently pulled the curtains closed on the first day of the rest of their lives. Together.


	8. Choi Twins' Birthday 2019

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another year, another birthday story for the boys <3
> 
> It takes place after Saeyoung's after ending on his route. MC x 707, with Saeran still living with him. I wish I had the time and energy to write someone for Saeran too in this one, but I wanted to focus on the twins sharing thoughtful gifts.

“Honey~ Are you still asleep?” MC patted the blanket-covered form next to her, but the only response was a quiet snore. She was worried that he might sleep through half of his birthday but didn’t want to rouse him if he was tired enough to snooze through that. Deciding to give him more time to sleep, she snuck out of bed to begin preparations for the day. 

***  
A few hours earlier, Saeyoung had been the one to slip out of bed unnoticed by his girlfriend. Once dressed, he headed to his workroom and gathered up everything he needed. It was tough work by moonlight and his cellphone’s flashlight. After checking the guide he’d found online, and rearranging the garden soil to look nice again, he stood up and dusted off his hands. He tapped on the new app he had created and smiled at the sound that told him everything was working. Or, so he hoped.

Back inside the house, he scrubbed the dirt from his fingernails and shuffled out of his stained clothing. MC stirred, making a cute sleepy sound as Saeyoung curled back up next to her. As he drifted off, he marveled at how his life had changed over the last year. His brother was back in his life and would wake up to his gift soon. Then there was MC…, the woman who had completely altered the course of his life. Someone who loved every side of him and let him finally drop the mask that he had long thought to be a permanent part of his existence. 

***  
The sun was barely up when Saeran made his way out to the garden. He was learning to love the smell of it again - the earthy scent of the soil, sun-warmed grasses, and the few flowers that had already begun to bloom. With a deep breath, he stretched his arms over his head, drinking in the sunlight and fresh air, letting it infuse his body. The sound of his phone beeping frantically shook him from his morning reverie. “What is it…,” he grumbled, pulling his phone from his pocket and unlocking it. There were several messages from his brother. 

“Happy Birthday to my other half! I know you were worried about the garden wilting if you went on a vacation, SOOOO!!! I hacked your phone, sorry not sorry, and added a new app! Check it out!”

“What the hell would an app on my phone have to do with the garden?” Though he groused about it, he was honestly curious. How would an app let him leave the garden alone without having to worry about it? On the home screen of his phone, there was a new app with an icon of a cartoonish plant sprout. It opened with a short video of Saeyoung’s goofy avatar explaining that the app-controlled a new irrigation watering system that he had… installed in the middle of the night? Saeran shook his head, subconsciously trying to hide the smile on his face. He had to admit; it was pretty impressive. 

***  
With a ferocious yawn, Saeyoung woke up from his morning nap and snuck away into his workroom. He cracked open a Ph.D. Pepper, relishing in the satisfying hiss it made, and flopped into his favorite office chair. Paying no mind to it creaking under him, he booted up the program he’d made for his drones. A smile, interrupted by another yawn, stretched over his face as he played back a recording from earlier. Saeran had liked his gift! Judging by his brother’s reaction, he’d done a decent enough job of installing the tubes and connections and hadn’t ruined anything in the process. He replayed the video again, sighing in contentment. 

After a moment, he switched to control mode and guided the drone he had left perched outside back into the shed. With a few clicks, he took control of another smaller drone that was already in the house. He knew that MC would be mad if he found out what she was working on for his birthday but he couldn’t resist taking a peek. Keeping the tiny robot close to the ceiling, he panned the camera around until he spotted her. Heat rose to his cheeks. She was licking white frosting from a spatula and dancing around the kitchen. How could she be so cute and sexy at the same time?! A moment later, Saeran entered the kitchen but his back was to the drone so he couldn’t guess what they were talking about. Saeyoung decided not to risk moving his drone closer to find out - Saeran was always much better at spotting them than MC was. He carefully perched the bot on top of the refrigerator, out of sight. Hmm… what were they up to? 

He decided to find out in person instead. Besides, he was dying to wrap his arms around MC and snuggle up to her soft form. So she would have a chance to hide anything she was working on, he called out to her from the living room. “Honeyyy~ Good morning!”

“It’s almost afternoon! Oh, and hold on a sec! I’ll be right there!” 

Saeyoung snickered and leaned up against the wall as he waited for her to arrive. His brother stepped out of the kitchen first and nodded to him. “Hey. I got your gift.” 

“Yeah?” Even though he had seen Saeran’s reaction to it, his heart fluttered a little at the idea of hearing his thanks in person. 

“You must have put a lot of work and research into that, huh?” Saeyoung replied with a shrug. It honestly had been a challenge to figure out how to make it work and program that app. He’d even set it to monitor local weather reports so it wouldn’t waste water on rainy days. “Mmhmm. I can tell. It’s… actually pretty brilliant. And helpful. Thanks.” Saeran pointed at his brother as he walked past. “No crying on your birthday.” 

“Sae, honey? Are you okay?” She had arrived right as Saeyoung was putting his glasses back on from wiping his eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m... oof!” 

His breath left him in a woosh as his girl ran up and hugged him tightly. She rested her cheek against his chest, nuzzling against him. “Happy Birthday, love.” Her warmth suffused him, his heart full of his adoration for her. They stayed that way for a long moment, enjoying being so close together. Eventually, she stepped back. “I’m sure you already know I’m working on something, but if you give me a minute to hide it, you can hang out while I work on lunch?” 

He stayed close to her all day, his hands finding her back or shoulder at every opportunity. Even after all the time they had spent together, he still loved having those little reminders that she was real. 

The day passed in quiet companionship, though Saeyoung’s curiosity grew by the hour. He knew that his family was planning something for him, but he hadn’t been able to figure it out. Finally, when dinner was over, MC asked them to stay at the table while she disappeared into the kitchen again. Silent understanding passed between the brothers, and they nodded to each other with a smile, waiting for the reveal of their cake. Sure enough, MC returned with a cake decorated much like a Christmas treat - white icing peaks topped with strawberries, but also festooned with candles. “Happy Birthday, guys~! I hope you like it!” 

Saeran appeared to be mesmerized by the candles. Last year, he stayed in his room for most of the day, so this was their first real birthday celebration since being reunited. “I was going to let him tell you, but Saeran grew these strawberries in his garden!” 

Saeyoung glanced over at his brother and caught a smile from him. “Seriously?! That’s amazing! I can’t wait to try them!” 

“It’s nothing. They’re tiny strawberries compared to what we can buy at the store.” Saeran’s eyes darted back to the cake. 

“I tried one earlier and they are much sweeter than the ones from the store. You sell yourself short, hun. Anyway, shall we?” MC began singing “Happy Birthday,” and after a few notes, Saeyoung joined in as well. Both brothers leaned in and blew out the candles together, each making a wish in their hearts. 

“Hey. Do you mind if we eat our cake out in the garden?” 

Tilting his head in confusion, Saeyoung agreed to his brother’s suggestion even if it seemed odd to eat outside in the dark. “Let’s do it!” 

Once everyone had their plates full of cake, they headed out to the yard. As they turned the corner, Saeyoung gasped. While the garden had been entirely dark when he was sneaking around that morning, it had been transformed. Glow in the dark rocks had been added to the gravel path, making it shimmer with blue sparkles. Tiny solar-powered lanterns peeked out from between the beds. Lastly, a string of star-shaped lights bridged the two tall poles on either side of one of the beds, casting light down on a trellis filled with large white flowers. “What is all this?” 

Saeran motioned him over to a picnic table that had recently been added as well. “I know you aren’t into gardening, but I wanted to make this place into something nice for you too. I thought about this kind of thing a lot when I was a kid - making a space-themed garden for you to return to.” He gazed off into the distance as he continued. “Anyway, I didn’t know how to do it then, but here we are. The white flowers are called moonflowers and only bloom at night. The other flowers in that bed haven’t bloomed yet, but they’ll be columbines, which look like shooting stars, and night-sky petunias, which are purple with white spots like stars. Of course, the ones with the big fuzzy green leaves are… red geraniums. Maybe they look like supernovas or something but they were the flowers I picked out for you long ago.” 

MC turned away, crying silently as the brothers embraced. It felt like finally, after all this time, the last of the barriers between them had fallen away. Even though she had known what Saeran was planning, seeing it all together like this was amazing. They had researched ideas together, but the design and work were all Saeran’s doing. She slipped away to get the gifts she had wrapped earlier, not wanting to end their evening in the magical garden just yet.


End file.
